It is safe to say that Celtic needed the win against Sturm Graz. But unfortunately, nothing seems to be going the Hoops' way at the moment. In the short term, the Europa League match might have lifted the mood of the supporters. But in the long run, it might have done more harm than good for Brendan Rodgers' side.
Kelechi Iheanacho and Alistair Johnston had been to be subbed off in the first half with injuries. But it is the late one suffered by Cameron Carter-Vickers which appears to be the bigger blow for the club.
Carter-Vickers went down right before the end of the game and stayed on the ground even after the final whistle was blown. Alarm bells should have been ringing right then and there. And the worries were not misplaced.
It looks like Carter-Vickers could be out for as long as five months. As reported by BBC, Rodgers told Sky Sports:
"He looks like he's done his Achilles, which could be anywhere between three and five months.
"We just await confirmation of that. It's not great news.
"Cameron's been a very important part of the squad, of course, and been a great centre-half for the club."
Celtic player possibly out until March in nightmare injury blow
Carter-Vickers is the defensive leader for Celtic. So, this is the last thing that the club needed at this point in time, as they are struggling for form and results already.
On the night, Celtic put in a rare good performance against Sturm Graz. But then, they saw three of their starters go down with injuries. So, everything positive was undone immediately.
Their next match is against league leaders Hearts away at Tynecastle Park. And to be very honest, we are not very confident that this Celtic team can go there and get a result at the weekend.
It would have been incredibly tough in the first place. Hearts are a team in brilliant form. On top of that, Celtic will be missing some of their best players for the foreseeable future. One can only hope that Rodgers finds a way.